When a collapsible trash bag is placed into a trash container of a corresponding size, the top of the trash bag is held securely at the lip of the trash container. However, this proper positioning causes air to be trapped between the trash bag and the sides of the container, making it difficult to install the bag and reducing the effective volume of trash that can be accommodated within the inner trash bag, i.e., the volume within the installed trash bag is less than the volume of the trash container. Consequently, more trash bags than necessary are needed to hold the volume of trash potentially accommodated by the trash container, and the partially full bags necessitate more trips to empty the trash than would be needed if the bags of trash were at full volume. Additionally, upon removal of the properly positioned trash bag, a vacuum tends to be created between the trash bag and the inner wall of the trash container.
Several types of trash containers have been developed that reduce this trapped air or vacuum situation by providing some type of air ventilation.
One type of ventilated trash container has sidewalls that are fully formed of mesh. The mesh sides allow air to move freely from the interior to the exterior and vice versa, but these mesh sides do not provide any containment of the trash should the interior trash bag leak or burst.
Another type of air ventilated trash container employs one or more interior or exterior hollow tubes with a lower end open to the trapped air at the bottom of the trash container and with an upper end that allows air to escape to the atmosphere on the exterior of the trash container. However, this tube-type trash container has disadvantages. The tubes are often fabricated separately and attached in place, which increases production costs. Either interior or exterior tubes are likely to interfere with the containers being stacked or nested efficiently, and less efficient stacking increases the cost for shipping, storage and retail shelf space. If the hollow tubes are on the exterior of the trash container, they cause the exterior to be irregular and unattractive. If the hollow tubes are in the interior of the trash container, the irregularities caused by the hollow tubes can collect dirt and can be difficult to clean.
A further type of ventilated trash container, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,906 to Kochelek, employs sidewalls with ribs extending inwardly from the interior surface of the sidewall to form open U-shaped structures. The trash bag rests against the U-shaped structures and cooperates with them to form vertical channels allowing air trapped at the bottom of the trash container to escape to the top or air to flow in to prevent the formation of a vacuum. Though the channels may serve to provide ventilation, the irregular and convoluted interior surface is adjacent to the trash being deposited and will soil easily, particularly if a trash bag leaks, and will be difficult to clean. Additionally, the projecting U-shaped structures reduce the volume of the trash container.
Another type of ventilated trash container has sidewalls that are vertically pleated. The pleats may be only internal waves or pleats, similar to the Kochelek trash container, but more often the pleats are integrally formed within the sidewall giving both the inside and outside a wavy or pleated configuration. The interior pleats serve to form interior vertical channels, which may permit conduction of air between the sidewall and the trash bag inserted into the trash container. However, the pleats tend to reduce the stacking ability of this type of trash container, thus increasing transportation, storage, and display costs. Plus, the irregular inside and outside surfaces are not conducive to easy cleaning.
Consequently, there is a need for an air-ventilated trash container that is economical to fabricate as a single, unitary piece; that does not have interior liner-tearing projections, but has a smooth, easy-cleaning interior surface; that conceals the ventilation holes to provide a trim exterior appearance; that works well with currently available sizes of trash bags; and that maximizes the volume of trash that can be placed within the trash container.